Saving Hope
by Soko-chan
Summary: When Hope Esthiem is knocked down in an attack, he is immediatly sent to the nearest hospital; but he is in a coma, only one person can wake him, and that person is Lightning Farron, but can she make it to him on time? or will Hopes' light finally go out?
1. Can you hear Me?

Chapter one

Can you hear me?

Hope opened his eyes; he was lying on a hard, cold surface, 'what's going on? Where am I?' he thought to himself, though he didn't have the strength to say it out loud,

"Relax, if you move you're gonna hurt yourself" Hope relaxed as he heard the familiar voice of Serah, though it sounded slightly strained, Hope opened his mouth, he was determined to talk, he needed answers,

"Serah, what's happening, where is she?" he managed to croak, the simple fragment of speech was exhausting for the boy, and beads of sweat ran down his forehead.

"She's, she's fine" Serah averted his eyes, Hope knew she was lying to him,

"Serah, please, tell me, the truth" it was truly paining him now to speak, and his vision was going blurry again.

"You need to rest, this is doing no good for you" Serah avoided his question expertly and merely dismissed it.

"Serah..." Hope couldn't finish his sentence; it was too much for him, his eyes rolled back into his head as he drifted into the blackness of unconsciousness.

"I think he's awake now, though he seems to be drifting in and out of it" Hope felt his body being lifted, his head lolled to the side, he had no energy to move, so instead he just let it be and listened to the conversation that was going on around him.

"Do you think he'll be alright? He seemed pretty shaken up back there" Hope recognized the voice to be of Snow Villers.

"I honestly cannot say, do _you _think he'll be alright?" Serah's voice echoed around Hope's head,

"I can't say, he looks pretty bad, I don't know if he'll make it," Snow's voice was laced with sadness and what seemed to be regret, but what would Snow be regretting?

Hope couldn't listen anymore, so he let the noise of the talking zone away and instead he enjoyed the quiet, he soon drifted off into sleep, but it was far from peaceful.

"Hope, can you hear me?" the words echoed loosely around the boys' head, his body was gently shaken and he had seemed to have stopped moving.

"Nghh" was the only sound he could make, though in his head he could talk perfectly.

"I don't think he's in any position to talk Snow, so just leave it, give him some time and he'll come round." The sound of Serah's voice was heard, it was so close yet so far away at the same time.

"OK, I will, but what are we going to tell him, you know, about Lightning"

"Shush Snow! He could hear you" Serah spoke,

'_Of course I can hear you! What's happened to Lightning? Where is she, why can't I hear her voice? Lightning where are you!' _the screaming plea inside of Hope's head did not escape his lips, he was forced into silence. He tried again to speak, but it was to no avail, he would not be talking that day.

"Do you think he'll wake up soon?" Snow asked,

"It's hard to tell, he is in a semi-coma, and it is hard to say at this point what stage he is at, he might be able to hear us, though he might not, and if I may say, there is a chance that he might never wake up, so please be prepared" an unfamiliar voice was heard,

"What do you mean, he may never wake up? He has to wake up, right Snow?" Serah's voice was shaking, was she crying? Hope couldn't tell,

"Of course he will, he'll wake up soon, I guarantee" Snow comforted Serah.

"Can we have a minute?" Snow asked,

"Of course, take all the time you need" the unfamiliar voice spoke again.

The sound of a door closing was heard from far away, but it was probably closer than Hope's mind thought it was,

"Hope, can you hear me?" Serah's voice asked, Hope felt a tickle on his face as his hair was brushed back by Serah's loving hand,

"come back to us Hope, please"


	2. Hope is Lost

**Ok well in the first chapter I think I kind of missed some important stuff out so here I go: the characters belong to SQUARE ENIX but the storyline is mine, some characters are made up, but they serve no major role so are not worth bothering about. I'm sorry about the story chapter name, but I like to play with words sometimes! So please, it's just part of it! Enjoy!**

Chapter two

Hope is lost

"Hope can you hear me?" Serah tugged at the boys hand, he shook a bit as she pulled, but the movement was not his own.

"Leave it Serah, he's not going to wake" Snow wrapped his arm lovingly around his fiancé.

"But he has to! He needs to, what are we going to do without him? He's the kindest, sweetest and most compassionate person I've ever met, I don't know if I can make it without him by our side" Serah started crying again, the sobs wracking her fragile form.

"Please don't sweetie. He'll wake up soon enough" Snow gently rubbed her back,

"But what if he doesn't? It's not fair! He didn't deserve any of this, if only he hadn't of been standing where he was then..." Serah couldn't force herself to finish her sentence,

"And what are we going to tell him when he asks about Lighting?" Snow suddenly became stressful, he didn't know if after all Hope had been through he would be able to take the news.

"We can't keep it from him forever, we're going to have to tell him at some point," Serah looked into his eyes,

"When the time is right he'll know I guess?" Snow shrugged his shoulders,

"I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but your hour is up, I'm afraid you'll have to go, the doctor wants to get his surgery done soon, and he can't allow visitors near him at the time" A nurse scurried in through the door, she signalled for the couple sitting at the side of the bed with the seemingly sleeping boy on it to leave with a few short hand gestures.

"Come on honey, we have to go" Snow sighed as he looked down at the small boy lying on the bed, his eyes were shut, but he looked peaceful, his soft silver hair was sprayed over the pillow, and his dark lashes contrasted with his pale face.

'_He does look just like his mother' _Snow thought, then he wrapped his arm around Serah's waist and guided her out of the room.

"_Where am I?" Hope called out, his voice echoed around his head,_

"_Do not fear young one, it is not your time to fade away yet," a voice answered his call_

"_Who are you?" Hope wanted answers, he had spent too long not knowing, wanting to ask but never being able to._

"_I cannot say who I am, but I am here to help you, do not be alarmed by my presence" the voice replied, Hope decided that whoever, or, whatever it was, was decidedly female, as the voice was that of a woman._

"_Why can't you tell me? Please I need to know things, I'm trapped in the darkness, I cannot see the light!" Hope called out, panicking,_

"_Do not fear, I shall keep you safe" The woman's voice was fading away,_

"_Don't go! Please stay" Hope tried to grab out and reach the woman, he ran forwards blindly through the darkness, he couldn't see anything, and he couldn't feel anything, no rush of wind as he parted the air, no sound of anything, he was truly alone in a place that no one else could be._

"_If ever you are lost, search for the map and it will come" The woman's voice spoke once more, but it was almost inaudible,_

_Hope kicked out in frustration_

"_Why must you confuse me with riddles? Am I not confused enough as it is? Give me a straight answer!" but even though Hope was crying out for help, he knew that the mysterious voice had long left him._

"_Just help me" he crashed to his knees, though he did not feel the impact as he hit the ground, crying he rolled himself up in a small ball, clutching his knees to his chest,_

"_Lighting, save me" his small voice cried, but Lighting would not be there that time to save him from the terrors that pursued him._


	3. I'll be there for You

Chapter three

I'll be there for you

**Three weeks before...**

Lighting coughed as she pushed herself off the ground, the attack had come out of nowhere, one moment she was walking through the valley way, the rest of the group following her, she knew where they were going, they would find the treasure and they would head back.

"Everyone ok back there?" she called over her shoulder,

"Yeah"

"I'm good"

"Me too"

Satisfied with the answers she heard, Lighting pressed on, they had been walking for two days, only stopping for a few hours at a time to sleep. The party was exhausted, but they knew that the ending prize would be worth the sleepless nights that they had suffered.

"Look out!" Lighting heard Snow's voice, and then felt an impact as his body slammed into her,

"What's your problem Snow!" Lightning snarled at him, when she looked up she saw a Cie' eth corpse attacking Snow relentlessly,

"And where did these ones come from?" Lightning asked no one in particular,

"I dunno, but they ain't friendly" Sazh's voice shouted from further back.

"You're not kidding!" Snow shouted as he delivered a fatal blow to the head of the corpse attacking him,

"Come on Light, get up!" he offered his arm, and she took it, hoisted to her feet,

Lightning took a head count, _Serah, Sazh, Snow, wait! Where was Hope? _

"Hope!" she shouted out, she heard no reply, Lightning ran over to her sister,

"Serah, where's Hope?" she looked urgent,

"I don't know, he was here a second ago!" Serah replied, she now too looked worried; she fumbled as she fitted an arrow to her crossbow,

"Snow! You take care of my sister y'hear! And I'm going to look for Hope!" Lightning yelled across the valley to Snow

"Got it" he nodded his head and brutally punched another Corpse that was causing him grief.

"Hope! Hope where are you?" Lightning shouted as she ran along the valley, she was nearing the end when she saw him, his eyes were wide open, the whites clearly visible from where Lighting was standing,

"Hope what are you doing? Get back here!" Lightning ordered,

"I can't" Hope's voice was trembling.

"What do you mean you can't? Use your legs and move!" Lightning was in no mood to be compassionate, she needed to get back to the others and help them with the fight,

"I knew you'd fall for it" A voice called from afar, it seemed to be coming from above her, looking up Lighting fitted her gunblade and inserted some bullets into the casing.

"Show yourself!" she ordered,

A cloaked and hooded figure dropped down from a rocky ledge and landed gracefully, in the manner of a cat, just in front of Hope.

"This boy came running down here as fast as his little legs could carry him, something must've startled him, but he was the perfect bait, unarmed, weak, pathetic, the perfect attraction" The stranger laughed.

"He is not weak, or pathetic so watch what you say!" Lightning spat the words out like they were poison, she felt the motherly love for the young teenager across the valley from her rise within her, she had to reach him, she had to protect him.

"I don't care what you think, I have you now in my grasp, if you want the boy, come and get him" the stranger laughed again, gesturing for Lighting to advance upon him.

"And what exactly would you want with me?" she asked him, in tones that would make even Snow scared.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, you'll come with me like a nice little girl Lightning" The stranger was clearly enjoying his game.

"And why would I be going with you? You are very much mistaken if you think I will, come on Hope, we're leaving" Lighting turned to leave, expecting Hope to follow, when she didn't hear his footsteps behind her she turned again.

"Come on Hope! The others need me back there with them" she was getting annoyed, but her annoyance quickly stopped when she saw what was happening behind her.

The hooded stranger had a thin blade pressed against Hope's exposed neck,

"I think you'll be coming this way now" The stranger laughed,

"You're sick! Let him go!" Lightning growled, she raised her gunblade to charge at the intruder,

"Don't take another step," the stranger warned, Lightning was tired of this, she walked towards him, she gasped as she saw a red line appear on Hope's neck,

"No!" she breathed,

"Light! Light! Save me!" Hope struggled to get free,

"No! Hope stay still!" Lighting winced as the red line became more prominent, the boy was putting himself in danger,

"So are you coming?" the stranger extended his free hand.

"No! Light don't go!" Hope started to cry, the tears rolling down his face, Lighting couldn't bear it, the sight of the boy was tugging at her heart.

"Fine" she spat at the stranger, "but let him go"

"Only as soon as I am sure you won't run away, leave your weapon over there if you will" Lighting obeyed and removed the gunblade from her arm, bending down to place it on the dusty floor of the valley.

"Now come here" Lighting walked towards the hooded figure,

"Now let him go" she gestured for the stranger to release Hope, he did so, shoving the boy carelessly to the ground, he took a firm hold on Lightning's arm and smiled.

"Oops" he grinned evilly, waving a hand Lighting screamed as the stone structures above them started to shake,

"Come on" the stranger pulled at Lighting to turn her,

"Hope no!" she screamed as she saw the fragments of stone fall where Hope should be lying,

"No!" she was pushed severely around and forced to march away from the boys' form.

The stranger just laughed,

"Nice try Lightning, but your valiant efforts weren't enough this time.

Lightning tried to hold back the tears that were welling in her eyes and threatening to escape,

' _I promised I'd be there for you, always, what kind of person am I to break such a promise, you have no one, Vanille left, she was like a second mother to you, I promised that I would do all I could to replace her, I would be that mother for you, I couldn't keep it Hope, I couldn't, I tried! Forgive me Hope, forgive me!' _Lightning couldn't hold the tears back anymore as she remembered the promise she had made to Hope, just after Vanille and Fang transformed into the crystal pillar holding up Cocoon, she had broken it.


	4. Empty Spaces

Chapter four

Empty spaces

It was the third week now, nothing changed, every day was the same, Lightning walked down the same marbled corridors as she did every day, there was no escape from her marbled prison, she had tried.

There was no one else to talk to in the building, she had called out for anyone, anything to come, the only presence was that of the hooded stranger, and it was driving her to the edge of insanity.

Lightning had tried to call Odin to help her, but he seemed to be locked somewhere deep inside of her, and he would not respond to Lighting's calls.

She paced up and down the marble corridors; she knew the patterns printed on the polished floors like the back of her hand. The only way out, was to somehow reach the second floor above her, but this was impossible, there were no stairs up, and the jump was too great for Lightning to manage, and the marble columns holding the floor up were too slippery to climb.

Lightning could feel the breeze coming in from the second floor, and the sound of birdsong. There must be a way out, and somehow, Lightning would find it...

'_Hello? Are you there?' Hope called out into the blackness of his mind._

'_Yes' Hope jumped back, he had been calling for what must have been days with no answer from the mysterious female voice, and now she was suddenly back again._

'_You left me! You left me all by myself, how could you?' he was at a loss, and his questions still needed answering._

'_I a apologise, but I had other pressing issues at hand, ones more important than conversing with an unconscious boy' the voice had a slight stern note about it that should have warned Hope not to argue, but the teenager was too annoyed to pay attention to it._

'_What kind of issues? I have been left here by myself for days on end! There is nothing to do, see, hear or taste! I thought I was going to go crazy! Maybe I am? But I just wish that you hadn't of left me!' Hope started crying again, even though there were no tears left in him._

'_You did not ask for the map and so I could not help' the voice was saddened._

'_What map? I'm asking for it now!' Hope shouted out,_

'_Then here it is' Hope waited for something, anything to happen, nothing did,_

'_Well, where is it?' he was getting frustrated, _

'_I gave it to you, I must leave again, I apologise for my untimely exit, use it wisely... Hope' the last words were said with great pain,_

'_No! Don't go, not again! I don't have a map! I don't have anything!' Hope couldn't move, he had nothing left, he felt dead,_

'_Try, you have the answers! Now use them, believe in yourself Hope, a storm is coming' the voice faded away,_

_Hope knew that once more he was by himself,_

'_A storm is coming?' he said to himself, those words were familiar to him, where had he heard them before?_


	5. Lightning doesn't strike without Intent

Chapter five

Lightning doesn't strike without intent

Lightning snarled as she saw the hooded stranger looking down at her from the second floor,

"Are you enjoying your stay?" he teased her,

Lightning could have responded with anything, sarcasm, words that were as sharp as knives, nothing at all, but she decided to answer the questions with questions, and not answer anything directly,

"Where am I?" she asked,

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Tell me" Lightning threatened,

"Or what? What are you honestly going to do?"

"I can never be contained, you cannot control the weather"

"Your word plays make me laugh little soldier"

"I am not a soldier, or did you not hear? I go against the military now"

"But you didn't"

"That was a long time ago" what was she doing? Lightning was getting aggressive, and it was entertaining the stranger.

"Very well then, but tell me something Lightning, what happened to you? All of the rumours I heard about you were ones of a strong, fierce warrior, who had no mercy, feelings of love or compassion, what happened to all of that?"

"What are you talking about? I still am that woman!" Lightning was confused,

"No you're not, the fierce warrior from the stories would not become weak when someone else was put in danger, she would fight until the end, no mercy, she would not care if others died of her cause, she would complete her mission with no setbacks, and she would be victorious."

"What are you talking about?" Lightning was confused even more than before,

"Your little child friend, Hope I think he's called, is it not because of him you are here?"

"It was and is not his fault, I am here of my own choices" Lightning was getting tired of these mind games,

"But you showed something that you probably shouldn't have, you showed love towards him"

"So what? Is it wrong to care if my friend is in danger?" Lightning snarled, she wished that the stranger would leave her alone.

"So much for a stone cold heart hey Lightning?"

So was that what the stranger wanted? Lightning to admit that she was weak in the fact that she would not let her friends die for her? Well she was going to stay strong.

"Listen to me, and listen well whoever you are, Lightning does not strike without intent!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Odin! Hear me now! Free me from this place, I call upon you mighty Eidolon, strike down with hooves of steel and let there be a tempest upon this place!" Lightning shouted to the heavens, the stranger laughed at her, but Lighting felt it stir within her, Odin was awaking.


	6. Odin's Awakening

Chapter six

Odin's awakening

Lightning laughed as she heard the roll of thunder booming outside of the building,

"You think you have bested me? Well then, it's my turn to best you!" she laughed,

"What have you done? What are you doing?" the stranger was panicked, he ran away from the balcony and Lightning lost sight of him,

"It does not matter, I shall have my revenge on you soon enough" she muttered darkly to herself, she heard a neigh and looked up to see the mighty Odin in front of her,

"Long time no see" she walked up to him and stroked his steely neck, he nuzzled her and placed his nose in her hands,

"Get me out of this place" she commanded, jumping onto the steed's back, she gripped with her knees and leant forwards as Odin jumped to the higher level, his hooves clattering noisily on the marble floor, chipping away at the tiles.

The building was shaking from the force of the winds buffeting it, making it move in its foundations, Odin leapt again out of the side of the building where the wall had collapsed,

"Great Etro hear me now, bring destruction on this place and send it crashing down into the deeps of the earth" she shouted at the sky, the wind was whipping her rose coloured hair into her eyes, effectively blinding her, but she trusted Odin to take her where she needed to go, a crash of thunder was heard, followed by the blinding flash of lightning, she turned as she heard the crack of stone and saw the building fall, swallowed by the opening ground.

"Odin, take me to the others, I need to see them, tell them that I am alright, I need to see Hope, I need to make sure that he's still alive..." Lightning trailed off, she didn't wish to think about such things, and instead she shut her eyes and let herself be lulled by the swinging motion of Odin's moving form.

"I'll find you, I promise" she whispered into the wind.


	7. A storm is Coming

Chapter seven

A storm is coming

"The doctor has informed me that if the patient does not wake up soon we will have to remove him from the life support machine" A nurse told the couple who were sitting by Hope's bedside.

"WHAT!" Serah exploded,

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Snow yelled at the nurse.

"Please calm down, it's not my choice, the boy has been unconscious for over a month now, the doctor says there is little chance that he will wake again, and other patients need this room"

"No you listen here! Hope needs this room!" Snow shouted, he couldn't let some man in a white coat decide when it was Hope's turn to die.

"We won't let you!" Serah cried, and clutched at Hope's soft hand.

"I am afraid that is has already been decided, if he does not wake in three days then he will be unplugged" the nurse exited the room before Snow hit her.

"She can't do that! They can't do this!" Serah was distraught,

"They won't! I'll kill them if I have to, Hope's not going anywhere honey" Snow kicked the sliding door of Hope's room.

_Hope had been sitting on the floor of his black prison for what must have been at least a month, but time didn't seem to pass in his black oblivion. He had taken comfort in trying to decipher the riddle told to him about the map. _

'_I still don't understand!' he hit the floor with his fist in frustration._

'_I have returned' Hope snapped his head up a little too fast and it made his head spin._

'_You came back for me!" he laughed, he had never been so happy to have company, _

'_I won't ask too many questions' he promised,_

'_Good because I will probably not be able to give you straight answers' the voice replied,_

'_Can- can you tell me who you are?' Hope asked,_

'_You already know'_

'_But I don't otherwise I wouldn't be asking you!' Hope felt frustration rise within him, but he kept it down._

'_Remember me Hope, listen to my voice and remember me'_

_Hope listened, the voice was familiar to him somehow, but it was not one he had heard recently._

_Suddenly everything in his mind clicked into place._

'_Mom?' _

'_Yes dear, I have been with you all along'_

'_Mom, you were here, but how?'_

'_I can't answer that, and I can't stay any longer, I'm sorry my angel, there is someone else coming for you, someone who loves you as I do, and she is alive, hold on with everything you've got, I believe in you' the voice was fading._

'_Mom! No don't leave me! MOM!" Hope shouted, but it was no use, he was alone again._


	8. Don't let go Kid

Chapter eight

Don't let go kid

Lightning had been asking people if they had seen Sazh, Snow, Serah or Hope for the best part of two hours.

"Excuse me sir, have you seen a girl with hair like mine?" she pulled someone aside,

"No and go away you freak!" the man lurched away from her, after letting out a string of expletives Lightning got back to her search. She had fallen asleep on Odin's back and had woken up in Cocoon, far away from the building she had been kept in back on Gran Pulse, she had stumbled across a nearby city and wondered if the rest of her party could possibly have travelled through that way.

"HAS ANYONE SEEN SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE ME?" she shouted, she was quickly losing her temper, if she didn't get answers soon she would be attracting people's attention by firing a few bullets and pointing her gunblade at people until they answered her!

"Excuse me miss, I know where your friend is" Lightning felt a small tug at the cape around her hips, she looked down to see a small child, her eyes were violet and her hair was fiery red.

"Really! Where?" Lightning asked, she hoped for the child's sake that it wasn't making this up.

"They went up to the hospital, it's near the building with the spike" the girl pointed uptown at a large building with a spire extending from its roof.

"Thanks," Lightning was overjoyed.

"Marline! Come here, you know you must not speak to strangers!" An angry looking woman was standing nearby, tapping her foot on the pavement,

"yes mummy" the girl scuffed her feet along the ground and trudged back to her mother, who grabbed her hand and marched her away up the street, after shooting a particularly nasty look in Lightning's direction.

"I just wanted to inform you that in two hours we are going to have to disconnect your friend" a nurse timidly spoke through the door, no one had dared enter the room where the furious Snow and agitated Serah had been keeping watch over Hope, the last nurse that went in there almost got 'punched into Gran Pulse' as the nurse had excitedly told the rest of the staff working at the hospital.

"Snow what are we going to do?" Serah whimpered as she looked down at Hope, he was so vulnerable, totally unaware of how close he was to death.

"I told you honey, they touch him they die!" Snow pounded his fist in his hand; he meant every word of what he said.

Lightning charged up the streets, knocking civilians out of the way unmercifully, she needed to reach the hospital, it had taken her almost an hour to reach the building with the spire, and almost another to actually find the stated hospital, because every time she tried to ask directions as to its whereabouts, people ran away, probably because she looked a mess, with her hair sprayed in all directions, and a frightened look in her eyes, so with no directions, Lightning had to find it herself.

"You have five minutes to say goodbye" the nurse instructed Serah and Snow, who had been restrained by the security guard after he had punched the doctor in the head, knocking him out.

"You can't do this!" Serah yelled, she threw herself on Hope's form, and clung to him, bawling.

"How dare you do this! No one urgently needs this room! He's still got time to wake up!" Snow yelled, trying to pull himself out of the guard's firm grip.

"It must be done Mr Villers, I am truly sorry" the nurse walked up to the machine, she flipped several switches, pressed some buttons and turned a key. Slowly the beeping noises slowed, and eventually stopped.

"No! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Serah screamed, she wouldn't let go of Hope.

"Outta my way!" Lightning shoved nurses and doctors in her path carelessly to the side.

When she reached the queue of people waiting in line to see loved ones, she did the same.

"Move it!" she screamed, grabbing at their shoulders and tossing them across the room.

"Excuse me miss, you need to wait your turn!" a scared nurse behind the desk whimpered, when Lightning slammed her palms down on the counter.

"You had better tell me where my friend is or so help me!" Lightning grinded her teeth together, the nurse hurriedly typed something into the computer at her work station

"Name please" she asked,

"Mine's Lightning Farron, and I'm here to see either, Snow Villers, Serah Farron or Hope Esthiem" she assumed that Sazh would have gone home to care for Dajh.

"Ok, that's corridor five and room 204" the nurse gave Lightning a lanyard and she slipped it over her neck.

"Thanks" she shouted over her shoulder before skidding over to the door.

"Hope, come on Hope, wake up!" Serah begged.

"Don't let go kid" Snow shook Hope and prayed that he would wake up.

'_Etro, if you can hear me, please let this kid wake up' _he hoped that the message would reach someone important.


	9. I'm here for you, Always

Chapter nine

I'm here for you, always

"I've got a pass. Let me through!" Lightning flung her lanyard at a nurse, who was guarding the door to room 204,

"Maam! Please stop!" the nurse tried to restrain Lightning, but she wasn't strong enough. Lightning powered through the nurse's grasp on her, and pushed her to the side,

"Sorry, but my friend's in there!" she shouted, she drop kicked the sliding door, because when she had tugged at it, it would not open.

The glass shattered over the floor, she heard a nurse gasping and an alarm went off.

"Oh shut up! I know!" Lightning cursed,

"Guys, guys are you in there?" she drew back a paper like curtain and gasped at the sight, her sister was bent over a small body, clutching at it, and Snow was patting her back, pain was emanating from his eyes.

"Light" Serah released the body and flung her arms around her sister,

"What happened?" Lightning looked in her sister's eyes; they were filled with pain and sorrow.

"We couldn't stop them" Snow shook his head, "we tried"

That was the moment when Lightning realised who it was on the bed in the room.

"Hope?" she asked, it was a rhetorical question, she already knew that it was Hope.

"We'll leave you two" Snow pulled his sobbing fiancé away from Lighting, and guided her over the shattered glass.

"Hope?" Lightning touched the boy's face with utmost care, "Hope can you hear me?"

'_Hope can you hear me?' Hope heard the words echo in his head,_

'_Light?' he called out, he knew that was her voice,_

'_Light I'm right here!' Hope was growing weaker, he h=didn't know why, but it felt like someone had just switched a light off, and his life was draining away._

"Hope, please, come back, what did they do to you?" Lightning cried as she realised that the machine keeping Hope alive had been switched off.

"Hope..." she picked up his limp form and sat on the bed, cradling him on her lap, her tears were rolling down her face.

"Light" the voice was so weak that Lightning though it was just her imagination.

Then she felt something squeezing her hand.

"Light" the voice came again, but it was stronger, Lightning snapped her eyes open, and looked down, a pair of vivid green eyes were looking back at her, they had lost their sparkle, but they were still full of hope, like the person they belonged to.

"Hope!" Lightning couldn't believe her eyes, "Hope is that really you?" she didn't dare believe it, in case it was her mind playing tricks on her, grieving did strange things to people.

"Yes, it's me Light, you came for me, she said you would" Hope managed to laugh, but the sound was hollow, and was more of a rasp, but it was good enough for Lightning, she didn't ask who 'she' was, having Hope back was enough.

'_Whoever you are, the 'she' that he's talking about, thank you, you kept him strong and alive, I can never thank you enough' _Lightning sent out her thought to whoever was there to listen, and she could have sworn she heard an answer.

'_It was my pleasure' _


End file.
